In Europe, large airports are evolving far beyond the traditional function of receiving and dispatching flights. Today, many of these projects are designed as mobility platforms, where air, rail and road transport are at the same point to make travel faster and more coordinated. It is with this logic that Poland wants to move forward with a new large-scale infrastructure, a mega-airport that has once again gained momentum and which could reinforce the country’s position in European transport.
The future Polish mega-airport, identified in the project as CPK and also promoted by the brand, should be built between Warsaw and Łódź.
The first phase aims for an annual capacity of 34 million passengers, but the plan foresees room for growth to 44 million, placing the infrastructure among the largest on the continent.
According to the most recent projections prepared by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for the entity responsible for the project, the airport could exceed 32 million passengers in the first full year of operation, scheduled for 2032. The same forecast admits that the 40 million barrier could be overcome by 2040.
Revised calendar and large-scale investment
The plan currently in force for this European mega-airport is no longer based on the initial goals announced when the work began to be discussed. According to the official manager, the Polish Council of Ministers approved a Multi-Year Program 2024-2032 with a global investment of 131.7 billion zlotys, around 30.6 billion euros.
Within this amount, 42.7 billion zlotys, approximately 9.9 billion euros, are reserved for the construction of the airport. Already 76.8 billion zlotys, close to 17.9 billion euros, will be invested in the railway network linked to the project, which should bring the new hub closer to the main Polish cities.
The Polish Ministry of Infrastructure, through the official portal gov.pl, says that the airport location decision was issued in January last year. Construction of the terminal is scheduled for this year and opening remains targeted for before the end of 2032, in conjunction with the first section of high-speed rail between Warsaw and Łódź.
In February this year, Port Polska revealed the opening of proposals for the terminal’s deep foundations, a step that shows that the project is no longer just an intention plan and has entered a more operational phase.
Terminal, runways and hub size
On the airport side, the infrastructure design is already more consolidated. The Ministry of Infrastructure aims for a passenger terminal with around 450 thousand square meters in the initial phase and capacity to process up to 11 thousand passengers per hour. The management company adds that the expansion will be carried out in two phases, first up to 34 million and then up to 44 million passengers per year.
The official plan for this mega-airport, designed to join the group of the largest in Europe, also foresees two parallel runways measuring 3,800 meters. The possibility of future growth is also contemplated, with a terminal designed from the outset to be expanded without compromising daily operations.
The same official source indicates that the project was planned with a heavy weight of connection traffic. Between 35% and 40% of passengers must be in transit, which reveals the intention to transform CPK into a true international hub, instead of limiting it to a departure and arrival airport.
The most differentiating element of this project is the articulation between different means of transport. The official manager states that the airport will be connected to an underground railway station and estimates that up to half of passengers will be able to arrive by train, with a connection of around 20 minutes from the center of Warsaw.
This railway network will not be limited to the Polish capital. The first section of the high-speed line between Warsaw, the new airport and Łódź is expected to start operating simultaneously with the opening of the airport, while connections to Poznań and Wrocław remain scheduled for the end of 2035.
Thus, CPK is being designed as part of a national mobility system, and not as an isolated project.
Architecture wants to combine plane, train and road in the same space
The architectural project is delivered to Foster + Partners, in partnership with Buro Happold. On the project’s official page, the British studio presents the future mega-airport as a “symbolic gateway” to Poland, marked by a large exchange square on land, with natural light, green areas and direct connection between plane, railway and road.
The approval of the terminal project last year reinforced this integration ambition. According to Port Polska, the building was designed to reduce internal distances, make transfers simpler and allow future expansions with less impact on operations, which helps explain Warsaw’s commitment to presenting this infrastructure as a new logistics and mobility center for Central Europe.
The past stopped the project, but the official discourse changed
The project reaches this stage after years marked by controversies, delays and internal review. NIK, Poland’s Supreme Audit Institution, concluded in 2025 that the preparation of the CPK between 2021 and 2023 did not occur adequately, pointing out unrealistic schedules, oversight failures, delays in essential documents and old targets without sufficient basis, including the intention to open earlier and already with an initial capacity of 40 million passengers per year.
It was after this reevaluation that the program was reformulated, with a new calendar, updated costs and more detailed implementation phases.
Even so, NIK itself left a relevant warning: the project remains dependent on factors such as future demand, investment costs and airport taxes, which means that the Polish ambition is now more structured, but continues to be exposed to risks.
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